Outdoor washstand



1962 HJH. EICHORST OUTDOOR WASHSTAND Filed NOV. 12, 1959 Herman H. E ichorsr 1N VEN TOR.

United States PatentOfiFice 3,018,490 OUTDOOR WASHSTAND Herman H. Eichorst, Hollydale, Calif. (8119 Long Beach Blvd, South Gate, Calif.) Filed Nov. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 852,338 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-170) The present invention relates to certain new and use fulimprovements in a portable knockdown outdoor device herein referred to, generally speaking, as a collapsible washstand.

There has long existed the need for an acceptable outdoor-type washstand offering a user of the same a wash basin, soap dish or tray and anchor means for a wash rag and towel. It follows that the instant concept has to do with a post or standard having a stake which may be driven in the ground and wherein simple, economical and practical facilities are provided on the upper portion thereof to accommodatingly support the desired wash basin, soap dish and hanger means for the towel and wash rag.

An object of the invention is to provide a stand of simplified practical construction which features structurally improved components which, singly and collectively, lend themselves to the provision of an adaptation ideal for persons at picnic and camping sites, for travelers and tourists in general, for use at a fishing ground and, for that matter, usable as an aid to the home gardener.

In carrying out the preferred embodiment of the invention the post or standard is made up of several telescoping components the upper one of which comprises a socket member. One end of the socket member is hingedly mounted between spaced parallel end portions of a split basin encircling and supporting ring or frame. This socke'tin'er'nber carries the hanger means for the towel, supports the readily attachable and detachable soap dish and, in addition, has a simple cleat which constitutes a stop and'assists in stabilizing the basin-suspending position of the aforementioned frame.

'Moreparticularly, novelty is predicated on the stated socket member which has an axial prong or pin at an upper end which serves to accommodate an apertured portion of an attaching bracket for the readily applicable and removable soap dish.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a stand constructed in accordance wtih the principles of the invention and showing the same erected and set up for use of the convenient facilities provided thereon;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the components disassembled which go to make up the over-all equipment, said view revealing the compact and practical components which contribute in providing the assembled means seen in FIGS. 1 and.3; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view with portions broken away and appearing in section.

The knockdown post (standard or upright) comprises a rod 4 having a pointed end 6 and providing a stake and which, as is obvious, is provided with a fixed lateral foot-piece 8 by way of which it may be pressed or forced into the ground for anchoring and retention. The attachable and detachable post section comprises a second rod 10 of requisite length which is provided at the bottom thereof with a socket member 12 providing a suitable coupling, that is, a coupling between the post com- 3,018,490 Patented Jan. 30, 1962 ponents or sections 4 and 10. The coupling action may be maintained by friction or the parts may be connected together by separable screw-threads (not shown). The aforementioned attachable and detachable socket member 14 may be considered, if desired, as a third component of the post. In any event, this member is fitted removably and telescopically over the upper end of the section 10 and it is provided at its upper end (FIGS. 1 and 3) with an axial upstanding stud 16 providing an attaching and retaining element for an L-shaped clip or bracket 18 mounted'on one side of the Wire or equivalent open-work soap dish or tray 20. The vertical leg of the clip denoted at 22 is fixed directly to the tray and the horizontal leg 24 projects laterally and has a hole 26 therein which is hung, as it were, over the upper end of the socket member and is anchored by the retaining stud- 16. When in place the leg 22 resides alongside the co operating portion of the socket member 14 as shown best in FIG. 3.

As already suggested the wash basin 28 with the usual outstanding lip or flange 30 on its rim is removably seated in a ring-like frame 32, the ring or band portion of which is denoted at 34 and which is of the so-called split type. The split ends project radially beyond one side and are denoted at 36 and as seen in FIG. 3, these ends, being spaced and parallel, straddle the upper closed end of the socket member below the level of said upper end, that is, when erected for use. The hinge connection between the split ends or cars 36 i made by way of a pivot pin 38. The manner in which the basin is hung and suspended is clear from the drawing.

As further illustrated in FIG. 3, when the bracket or clip 18 is attached the flanged edge portions 40 of the leg 22 of the clip assist in embracing and stabilizing the hinge joint. Primarily, however, the weight of the frame or band when in use is handled by a simple metal cleat or rectangular block 42 which is centrally riveted (fixedly so) by way of a rivet 44. The purpose of this cleatis to underlie the outstanding cars 36 thus providing the unique cooperating assemblage seen in FIG. 3. The socket member also provides accommodation and support for the wash rag and towel hanger means. This means comprises a simple rod-like element 46 which extends slidingly through an opening 48 provided therefor and which has laterally bent terminals or ends 50 providing suitable retaining hooks. The hooked end portions of the hanger rod '46 serve to accommodate a towel or wash rag which may be hung thereon. In FIG. 1 a towel 52 is illustrated. It may also be pointed out that the rod or element 46, being slidingly mounted, may be slipped or shifted to the right or the left for convenience of use by right handed and left handed persons. It also facilitates pivoting of the socket member atop the post member 10. Not only this, it provides a stop and limits the degree to which the upper end portion of the section 10 telescopes into the socket of said member 14.

Novelty is predicated on the easy-to-erect and dismantle stand characterized by the post or standard and the unique facilities depicted particularly in FIG. 3. However, it will be noticed that the socket member when it is collapsed or folded as seen in FIG. 2 assumes'an outof-the-way position within the limits of the ring and the hinged connection permits this to be accomplished. Actually (looking at the frame and socket member at the right in FIG. 2) when one desires to bring the parts into usable relationship it is necessary to lift the socket member from the horizontal position shown. The socket member carries the cleat 42 with it and holding the frame 32, let us say, in the left hand and catching hold of the socket member with the right hand and swinging it up through approximately three-quarters of a circle or 270 the socket member travels around from a horizontal to a vertical position at which time the cleat 42 actually moves from a position overlying the ears 36 to a position underlying the ears at which time its last-named position places the cleat at right angles to the horizontal plane from which it had to move, as seen in FIG. 2. n dismantling the stand in PEG. 3 the components 4 and 10 are separated so that they can be laid side-by-side and compact as illustrated in FIG. 2. The wash basin is, of course, removed and the bracketed soap dish is detached from the stud 16. The frame 32 being held, let us say, in the left hand, the socket member is swung in the direction of the arrow A, that is, from left to right and swings up through the three-quarter circle path back to assume the inwardly projecting out-of-the-way position seen in FIG. 2.

It would be within the purview of the invention instead of using sections 4 and 10, to use a singlepiece standard.

Whereas the soap dish per se is old and the wash basin likewise old and Well known, the disclosure has been presented to include these components particularly with a view toward emphasizing the factors of novelty and utility. While these components are to be mentioned in the claims directly and indirectly it is to be assumed that the essence of the invention is in the structural components, singly and collectively, which go to make up the portable knockdown compact and convenient stand.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use as a component part of an outdoor washstand, a rigid tubular socket member of predetermined length having one end closed, said socket member being open at an opposite end and adapted to telescopically and removably receive an insertable and removable part of a portable support post, said socket member being provided intermediate its ends with an opening, a rod member of a length considerably greater than the crosssection of said socket member having a median portion thereof mounted in said opening, a fiat faced cleat having a median portion thereof superimposed upon and secured substantially tangent to an outer surface of the socket member adjacent to but spaced a distance from the closed end of the socket member, said cleat being of a length greater than the cross-section diameter of the socket member and having end portions extending beyond diametrically opposite surfaces of said socket memher, and a complemental ring-like frame adapted to removably receive and support an insertable and removable basin and provided on one side with a pair of outstanding ears, said frame and ear normally extending in a plane normal to the axis of said socket and to said cleat, said ears each having an edge extending over and supported on an edge of said cleat, pivot means connecting said ears to said socket on an axis parallel to and spaced from said cleat, said socket and cleat being rotatable 270 about said pivot axis in one direction whereby said cleat contacts another edge of at least one of said ears and stops said socket and rod member within said frame.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said socket member has a smooth circular axial bore therein, said bore telescopically receiving a smooth circular upper end of said post whereby said socket may rotate 360 on said post and be rapidly detached therefrom.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said socket has fixed to its upper end an axially projecting stud, a soap dish, a bracket secured to said soap dish, an aperture in said bracket, said aperture slidably receiving said stud whereby said soap dish may be quickly slipped off said stud and placed within the confines of said frame for storage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 577,528 Kachler Feb. 23, 1897 1,799,079 Bemis Mar. 31, 1931 1,834,144 Coderre et al. Dec. 1, 1931 

